Mother stayed at home cooking and cleaning while Father left for work. Two or more children took the bus to school. In the evening, all the family members got together at home again. This is what a traditional family was like twenty years ago. But now great changes have happened in British families.
As many as 2 out of 3 marriages now end in divorce(离婚), and many children have to live with one parent and only see the other at weekends or during holidays.
There has been a great increase in the number of working women with children. Many women have to work to support themselves and their children. Even in the family where there is no divorce, both parents have to work in order to survive.
Also women are no longer happy to stay at home taking care of children. Many of them have jobs and some of them can even make more money than men, the traditional breadwinners.
What’s more, the increasing number of single-parent families have caused an increase in the crime rate (犯罪率) among children in a way. It is thought that if a child doesn’t have a father, he or she will be harmed.
However the changes may be good for some people. For women it’s now much easier to have well-paid jobs. Although it is difficult to be a working mother, it is no longer seen as a bad thing for children.
As for some children, they learn how to solve problems by themselves at an early age.
【小题1】Which of the following statements is TRUE about a traditional family in Britain twenty years ago?A．Both the mother and the father had to work to support the family.B．The father stayed at home taking care of the children. C．The mother didn’t need to work. D．A family had only one child.【小题2】Which of the following things is NOT mentioned in the passage ? A．The increasing number of divorces. B．The increasing number of fathers who stay at home. C．The increasing number of working mothers. D．The increasing crime rate among children.【小题3】According to the passage, a “breadwinner” refers to a person who .A．has got some breadB．is good at making breadC．stays at home raising childrenD．works to support the family【小题4】From the passage we can learn that . A．In a family where the parents are not divorced in Britain，the mother doesn’t have to work. B．Children whose parents are divorced have to start working early. C．The father is very important to a child’s growth. D．The changes in British families do no good to people.C
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(答案→)C
解析：二十年前的英国家庭是女性在家相夫教子，男性外出挣钱养家。但是今天情况大变。离婚率增高、单亲妈妈工作的多，就是不离婚，为了生存，女性也要和男人一样出去工作。孩子们只好孤独地在家呆着，父亲的教育缺少，导致儿童犯罪率提高。但是女性有更高报酬的工作的机会多了，孩子的自我管理能力提高了。这是好的一面。 。
【小题1】细节理解题。根据第一段可知，二十年前，妈妈在家做饭打扫，与C项（妈妈不用上班。）意思一致。
【小题2】推理判断题。根据文章的第2、3、5段的段落大意可知，二十年后的英国家庭，离婚率高、单亲上班的妈妈多、孩子犯罪率高了。没提B项（越来越多的父亲呆在家。）。
【小题3】词义推测题。根据全文第一句话可知，男人二十年前要出门挣钱养家，女人在家做饭管孩子。所以这里是对这一作用的形象的解释。breadwinners根据构词法解释是挣面包的人。与D项（工作养家的人）意思一致。
【小题4】推理判断题。根据It is thought that if a child doesn’t have a father, he or she will be harmed.可知，父亲对于孩子的重要性。与C项（父亲对孩子的成长很重要。）意思一致。
考点: 生活百态类阅读。